New U2 interviews: Schedules and discussion

[rennowba]

Really??

http://www.dailystar.co.uk/showbiz/404708/Bono-Corporation-Tax-avoiders

 

[purpleblackeye]

It personally pains me to read what Larry says about NLOTH, really. I'm used to him being a bit of a downer (the antipode of Bono in my understanding), but I consider NLOTH to be one of their finest efforts, it contains some beautiful music and Moment of Surrender is one of their greatest tunes ever. What comes across for me is a bit of a sour taste because it was a "small" album in terms of sales, and Larry says "U2 doesn't make small albums". Maybe it's just me, but he seems overly profit-orientated here. Why is it so hard to just say: We've made a great album, we believed in it, it didn't sell well, so what. Bono has said this over the years. There's no shame in admitting sales figures didn't match your expectations. I think it's lame to simply dismiss the whole album as such because of that.



Apart from that, I agree, an excellent article in the Observer, written by someone who's clearly critical but still prepared to shed some light on the way the band works and the band members act and think instead of just being negative about them.

No Line can never be one of their finest efforts because of the terrible middle section. I also think Breathe is overproduced and Cedars is an underwhelming closer at least when compared to a the Troubles. And lyrically, this album is far superior to No Line. No Line has great musical moments but ruined sometimes by the lyrics (eg Magnificent, chorus of Unknown Caller - sounds nice until you realize what they are saying).


Sent from my iPhone using U2 Interference

 

[jameskinsella]

It personally pains me to read what Larry says about NLOTH, really. I'm used to him being a bit of a downer (the antipode of Bono in my understanding), but I consider NLOTH to be one of their finest efforts, it contains some beautiful music and Moment of Surrender is one of their greatest tunes ever. What comes across for me is a bit of a sour taste because it was a "small" album in terms of sales, and Larry says "U2 doesn't make small albums". Maybe it's just me, but he seems overly profit-orientated here. Why is it so hard to just say: We've made a great album, we believed in it, it didn't sell well, so what....

Because it isn't a great album.

 

[PhilsFan]

Yeah, being upset with Larry over that requires believing him to be wrong, when he's probably not wrong.

 

[last unicorn]

Because it isn't a great album.

You can insist on this as much as you want, I still say it's a great album and it's loved my many fans.

 

[last unicorn]

No Line can never be one of their finest efforts because of the terrible middle section. I also think Breathe is overproduced and Cedars is an underwhelming closer at least when compared to a the Troubles. And lyrically, this album is far superior to No Line. No Line has great musical moments but ruined sometimes by the lyrics (eg Magnificent, chorus of Unknown Caller - sounds nice until you realize what they are saying).


Sent from my iPhone using U2 Interference

Agree about the middle section. Disagree about Cedars, it's one of their greatest closers, but then again, U2 usually have good closers.

 

[standrums]

Brilliant article, and what I would give to be able to enjoy a 3 hour lunch with Bono in the south of France chewing the cud

 

[scrumpyjsk]

Agree about the middle section. Disagree about Cedars, it's one of their greatest closers, but then again, U2 usually have good closers.

If you agree the album has a terrible midsection, how then can you call it a great album? That is one quarter of the work which is horrifically flawed.

To be honest, the better aspects of NLOTH are made positive in relation to Crazy-SUC because of the difference in quality. But they are still meandering, bland, sub-par pieces of work.


Sent from my iPhone using U2 Interference

 

[2233]

After Larry's perceived dissing NLOTH to become new POP

 

[corianderstem]

I bet that was Larry's plan all along.

Larry Mullen's Reverse Psychology.

 

[jameskinsella]

If you agree the album has a terrible midsection, how then can you call it a great album? That is one quarter of the work which is horrifically flawed.

To be honest, the better aspects of NLOTH are made positive in relation to Crazy-SUC because of the difference in quality. But they are still meandering, bland, sub-par pieces of work.

Seconded.

NLOTH may strike a particular chord with a listener and become a firm favourite for that person. That applies to every album or piece of music, but that doesn't make it great.

JT, AB, Sgt. Pepper's, Dark Side of the Moon, Pet Sounds etc are great.
NLOTH ain't.

 

[DomCobb]

The Danger Mouse sessions (finished with extra producers including Paul Epworth) became Songs of Innocence when Jimmy Iovine, the former record mogul who is currently working for Apple, told Bono: “The person you need to be to make this album, he’s a long way from where you live.”

Still can't believe they're now taking songwriting advice from label suits.

You mean Jimmy Iovine? The producer of Under a Blood Red Sky and Rattle and Hum?

 

[thavidesco]

I think they got lost with NLOTH through the process of making it and at the end they screwed it up. It could have been another highly exciting experimental record like Zooropa. i don´t say it would make any difference in terms of commercial succes., but it could have been a memorable record for U2 and for real fans. They created good material and they succesfully included arabic vibes into their music, unfortunately it seems they got scared it is too ambitious and they decided to go more conventional classic U2 way. That´s why some early versions or remix versions of the songs sound much better than the final product on the record.

 

[corianderstem]

$10 says in 2019, Larry will say he hates this album, too.

 

[Mrs. Garrison]

After Larry's perceived dissing NLOTH to become new POP

NLOTH doesn't hold a candle to PoP

 

[Gonna Run 2 U]

NLOTH sucked. I will never understand all of the love around here for Moment Of Surrender. Same with Every Breaking Wave (which should have been kept on No line) - Utter boring middle aged nonsense.


Sent from my iPhone using U2 Interference

 

[mikal]

Someone once ripped on me for listening to "Dad Rock".

I replied "well I am a dad."

They replied "oh."


The owls are not what they seem.

 

[dan_smee]

Someone once ripped on me for listening to "Dad Rock".

I replied "well I am a dad."

They replied "oh."


The owls are not what they seem.

Sent from my iPhone using U2 Interference

 

[corianderstem]

NLOTH sucked.

Hey, Larry - what's up?

 

[digitize]

$10 says in 2019, Larry will say he hates this album, too.

My cynical view is that this whole forum will put SoI in the same bucket in which it currently places Bomb and No Line by then. We'll see.


Sent from my iPhone using U2 Interference

 

[stray dog]

My cynical view is that this whole forum will put SoI in the same bucket in which it currently places Bomb and No Line by then. We'll see.


Sent from my iPhone using U2 Interference

Maybe some. But SOI is too good for that to be a consensus.

 

[trevgreg]

Keep in mind that it's not uncommon for bands or musicians to criticize prior releases when they're either working on or releasing a new one. It's not restricted to just U2 here.

 

[The_acrobat]

Maybe the reason Lillywhite was brought in to NLOTH was because the stuff they did with Eno/Lanois prior really sucked? Maybe they got 75% of the way and realized that the songs weren't good enough, and that the partnership with those 2 had "run out of road".

Lillywhite did the best he could with what he had to work with, I think. I'm fairly pleased with NLOTH as an album. I don't hate Stand Up Comedy or Crazy Tonight as much as everyone else does (although the line "God is love and love is evolution's very best day" does make me cringe).

 

[Earnie Shavers]

U2: ‘It’s the job of art to be divisive’ | Music | The Observer

U2: ‘It’s the job of art to be divisive’

Their read of everything is always so... different.

 

[mikal]

As a former non successful recording artist, I have a little forgiveness towards U2's insights. There were many times my friends would tell me that my least favorite creation was their favorite and I was puzzled by it. On the flip side, I used to feel crushed when the song I felt could be a breakthrough song was scoffed at by the same group of people.

My point is that the band has a different emotional attachment to their songs than any fan could ever have.


The owls are not what they seem.

 

[Salome]

As a former non successful recording artist, I have a little forgiveness towards U2's insights. There were many times my friends would tell me that my least favorite creation was their favorite and I was puzzled by it. On the flip side, I used to feel crushed when the song I felt could be a breakthrough song was scoffed at by the same group of people.

My point is that the band has a different emotional attachment to their songs than any fan could ever have.


The owls are not what they seem.

Indeed

+ the fans are usually wrong

 

[lazarus]

Maybe the reason Lillywhite was brought in to NLOTH was because the stuff they did with Eno/Lanois prior really sucked? Maybe they got 75% of the way and realized that the songs weren't good enough, and that the partnership with those 2 had "run out of road".

LOL, no.

 

[dabiggestu2fan]

As a former non successful recording artist, I have a little forgiveness towards U2's insights. There were many times my friends would tell me that my least favorite creation was their favorite and I was puzzled by it. On the flip side, I used to feel crushed when the song I felt could be a breakthrough song was scoffed at by the same group of people.

My point is that the band has a different emotional attachment to their songs than any fan could ever have.


The owls are not what they seem.

I am the same way with my photography! Sometimes photos I'm super excited about don't seem to get a great reception while some photos I may not be totally happy with are the ones that get the most love from people lol. Art is very subjective like that and it depends all on personal taste.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

I'm totally the same way with my macaroni art.

 

[morgan1098]

“The easiest thing would be a greatest hits tour,” says Mullen. “We could do that for years. I just wasn’t prepared to go down in flames on the last record. This is not the way to finish your career. Go out with something that you really believe in. There were questions like: can we do this? Is it possible for us?”


Last record meaning NLOTH. Let's not get crazy.

This almost sounds like NLOTH was going to be the last record. Can the phrase "finish your career" really mean anything else?

So, the poor reception for NLOTH is something to be thankful for, because now we're getting two, possibly three more records as part of the campaign to "go out with something that you really believe in."